Footsteps into Africa

Tag Archives: shopping

It wasn’t a question I’d expected to ask of my trainees yesterday, the staff of an organisation called A Little Bit of Hope in the nearby-ish town of Busolwe. They’d raised the Zimbabwean president’s name: we were discussing the role of a communicator and one of them had mentioned the time Mugabe had delivered a whole speech without realising he was reading out the one he’d given last month.

The point was relevant though – and a sign they both understood my questions and were volunteering their own ideas, two things I’ve learned not to take for granted. Continue reading →

I knew Morogoro, a small city 200 km from Dar, was a popular conference venue. But I’d no idea of the business this has spawned till this week. During the first hour and a half on day one of our workshop, word had apparently spread that customers, flush with per diems and with time to kill during breaks, were in town. So as we spilled out of the conference room for our first tea break, we were met by a newspaper vendor, a professional photographer, a stall selling jewellery and clothes, another offering cracked heel balm and aloe vera toothpaste, and a fairly unconvincing guy offering “health checks” along with appropriate herbal remedies to treat your multiple deficiencies.